Masters of Software Engineering

For the past few years, I have been working on a Masters of Science in Software Engineering. I have finally come to the finish of the degree and came to a few conclusions, some of which are about me and some of which are about the program I attended.

My degree is from Penn State Great Valley, a professional studies satellite campus of Penn State University. Satellite campuses tend to not live up to the main campus standards, but they offer a certain level of convenience. When I first started the program, I had started a new job and one of the benefits was that the company would pay for continued education. I felt that I would be foolish if I didn't participate. The only commitment that I needed to make was my time.

I research a number of area schools that offered Software Engineering Masters programs including: Villanova, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, and Penn State Great Valley. Each of these schools had respectable reputations, but Penn State offered something that the others didn't, convenience. A campus close to work, classes after general work hours, and online components to a number of their classes. When I completed my undergrad Computer Science degree, I figured I was done with higher education altogether, but no one can say what the future holds. Penn State's convenience combined with my new employer offering tuition reimbursement was too good to pass up. Some colleagues at work talked favorably about Penn State and I have some friends that graduated undergrad from the main campus, so it seemed like a good fit. Once I started, I was excited to be back in the world of academia, but I started to realize what a professional studies program meant.

I was hoping to be in class with some of my peers who were excited about Software Engineering and like me were willing to put up the effort to get the most out of this type of program. What I started to learn was that most of the people around me were in similar situations as me where their employers were footing the bill, but what was different was that they didn't have the same excitement for learning that I did. They saw it as a benefit they should be taking from their employer and were looking to get the degree for the sake of the degree. Don't get me wrong, I started off thinking about a Masters Degree with a similar attitude, but when I commit myself to something the achievement is what really drives me.

I started to find that not only were the students focused on just making the grade, but some of the professors were enabling it. Professors knew that in order to keep students coming back they would have to be more lenient on grading so that students could continue on with their education and get the course reimbursed from their employer. Most employers require a student to maintain a certain GPA to continue the reimbursement. What started to become clear was that this institution was not that different from a business. There are some things that you learn as you get older that shatter the perfect illusion you hold when you are younger. Many adults hold education in such a high regard. So, for me, seeing an academic institution turning out a "product" was hard to believe, but it was happening right before my eyes. I have been accused of being idealistic in the past, but I like to think I am just optimistic. I hope that when money is being put out for a service you get what you are paying for, well this isn't always the case. As I get older, only 27 now, I am beginning to realize that quality isn't just something that is paid for.

I found a few gems in the program, but the capstone course, the final project, was the icing on the cake. Faced with a class of students that were interested in creating software systems that stretched only their own experiences, which are not fitting of a Masters in Software Engineering in the first place, rather than the field itself, I struggled to make the project I participated in have meaning. I wanted to make my achievement in this culmination of my degree something I could be proud of. I struggled in a group environment with some students that wanted to also achieve while others were happy to just skate by "making the grade". The amount of work that we covered in 14 weeks was unimpressive to say it conservatively, yet the professor was astonished we got as far as we did. This gave me some insight into the expectations of the faculty that further supported my theory.

The more I talk about my experiences with others, I am finding that this isn't an isolated occurrence. There are schools that have high standards, but my mistake was that I went on reputation alone and that isn't enough. Reputation can be established by the masses who want nothing more than for you to be a part of the same general collective as them. This doesn't mean that the institution is of higher quality, only that you would be part of a growing circle that they were a part of and happy to see growing. That growth helps them justify their efforts by standing behind a growing mob of mediocrity. The unfortunate part of this is that the facade of the average masks the achievement of the few. Those true academics struggling in these institutions making a name for their schools only find that their research and achievement is diluted by the same mediocrity that foster the institution's growth.

I don't want this to turn into a rant because god knows that the internet has no shortage of them. I think that I needed to let others know what had happened to me. Even if this post gets lost in the throngs of other posts out there, there is something cathartic about capturing something personal and making it public.

For those who read this who are questioning whether to continue on to higher education beyond an undergrad degree, don't be discouraged, but do be mindful of the trade-offs you make when deciding on an institution to further your academic career. Not all institutions are created equal.